Multiple platforms for students to pursue interests in different activities

We thank youth forum writer Chen Hao Xuan for his suggestions to enable students to pursue co-curricular activities (CCAs) of their interest ("Make Co-Curricular Activities More Enriching and Interesting", December 27).

CCAs are integral to our students' holistic development. Through CCAs, students discover their interests, develop character and social-emotional competencies, and cultivate a lifelong love for a chosen activity. Our schools provide diverse CCA offerings across physical sports, visual and performing arts, uniformed groups, as well as clubs and societies.

Beyond CCAs offered in schools, students from different secondary schools can come together to pursue common interests through combined-school CCAs or the Strategic Partnership CCA (SP-CCA). Under SP-CCA, which is jointly offered by the Ministry of Education (MOE), SportSG and the National Arts Council, students across schools can participate in centrally-run CCAs like athletics, water polo and ethnic dance. MOE is exploring adding more of such CCAs to give students access to a wider range of activities.

We also encourage students to initiate and pursue their own interests and learn outside the curriculum. For example, as part of regular Home-Based Learning, many secondary schools and pre-university institutions have set aside time for student-initiated learning, where students can pursue interests such as learning a foreign language or musical instrument.

MOE and schools will continue to provide opportunities for our students to explore and pursue their interests to support their holistic development.

Mrs Eugenia Lim
Divisional Director, Student Development Curriculum Division 2
Ministry of Education

提供多个平台让学生追求不同兴趣

谨答复《联合早报·交流站·青年视角》于12月27日刊登的陈昊轩同学投函《让课程辅助活动更丰富有趣》：

我们感谢陈同学针对让学生能够参加他们感兴趣的课程辅助活动（CCA）提出建议。

课程辅助活动对学生的全面发展至关重要。通过课程辅助活动，学生可以发现自己的兴趣爱好，发展品格与社会情感能力，并培养对所选活动的终身热爱。我们的学校提供多样化的课程辅助活动，包括体育运动、视觉和表演艺术、制服团体，以及俱乐部和学会。

除了学校提供的课程辅助活动，来自不同中学的学生，也可以通过学校合办的课程辅助活动或课程辅助活动策略伙伴计划（Strategic Partnership CCA，简称SP-CCA）聚集在一起，追求共同的兴趣爱好。根据教育部、新加坡体育理事会和国家艺术理事会联合提供的SP-CCA，不同学校的学生可以参加统一开办的课程辅助活动，如田径、水球和民族舞蹈。教育部正在探讨增加更多此类课程辅助活动，让学生有机会参加更广泛的活动。

我们也鼓励学生主动追求自己的兴趣，学习课程以外的知识。例如，作为居家学习的固定环节，许多中学和高中都预留时间供学生自主学习，让他们可以追求自己的兴趣，如学习一门外语或乐器。

教育部和学校会继续为学生提供探索和追求兴趣的机会，以支持他们的全面发展。

教育部学生发展课程司（第二司）统筹司长
陈允晶